Extremely Rare Burmese Bronze Pagan Buddha Statue
AGE: – Pagan Period 11th – 12th Century
CONSTRUCTION: – Bronze
HEIGHT: – 48cm
WIDTH: – 38cm
DEPTH: – 20cm
WEIGHT: – 16.15 kg.
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Extremely Rare Burmese Bronze Pagan Buddha Statue with an unusual lotus bud decoration circling the head, extending across the forehead and down behind the ears and crossing the base of the skull. The large raised urna on the centre of the forehead is referred to as the “Eye of Wisdom”, or “third eye”, an auspicious mark seen on many Buddha statues symbolizing wisdom, consciousness, and enlightenment. This statue was once fully gilded but now worn with a nice patina.
This Pagan Buddha statue is seen here seated on a double lotus pedestal, the face shows a calm serene expression, with defined arched eyebrows, full lips upturned at the corners, eyes cast downwards, ears touching the shoulders, and the hand gesture in bhumisparsa mudra, the mudra symbolizing the moment in which the Buddha attained enlightenment.
Read MoreThe Buddha statue is dressed in a simple monk’s robe, with the lapel reaching mid-chest level, ending in a frill. The frill representing the hem of the robe is again seen on the centre top of the lotus pedestal. The fingernails are well-defined and nicely proportioned. The lotus bud hairstyle is very rare, the majority of Burmese Buddha statues are seen with hair curls, represented by small peppercorn bumps, with or without a finial. Many Pagan Buddha statues are shown with a triangular finial in which a precious stone may have been set into the centre.
Most Shan Buddha statues are seen with a usnisha (cranial bump) symbolizing the Buddha’s expanded wisdom attained at the time of his enlightenment with a pointed finial sitting on top. Mandalay Buddha statues are seen with just a rounded cranial bump (usnisha with no finial).
The Pagan kingdom was at its height between the 10th and 12th Centuries, ruled by King Anawrahta, the first king of Pagan who after converting to Buddhism also encouraged his subjects to adhere to the Theravada school of Buddhism introduced by the monks of Sri Lanka. Buddha statues similar to this can be seen in the alcoves of the Ananda temple in Bagan (Pagan), located South West of Mandalay in central Myanmar.